Rick Comegy Named Head Football Coach at Norfolk State University

Norfolk, Va.— Norfolk State University has announced the selection of Rick Comegy as its new head football coach. Comegy has served as head coach and athletics director at Tuskegee University where he compiled a 64-17 record in seven seasons. He led the Tigers to a 10-1 record and their third consecutive Southern Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (SIAC) title in 2002. Comegy, who also guided Tuskegee to a 12-0 record and a SIAC championship in 1998, has taken the Tigers to four consecutive Pioneer Bowl appearances where they won three of four meeting against representatives of the Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association (CIAA).

Comegy becomes NSU’s 15^th head football coach. He replaces Maurice "Mo" Forte who resigned at the conclusion of the 2002-03 season after a 5-6 finish. Forte compiled a 15-29 record in four seasons at NSU.

"I want to thank Mr. Moss, NSU President Marie McDemmond and the selection committee for this opportunity," said Comegy who was named the 2001 Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year and SIAC Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2000." I am going to give you everything I’ve got to make this a program the university and the community will be proud of."

A native of Boothwyn, Pa., Comegy is a 1976 graduate of Millersville State University in Lancaster, Pa., where he earned a bachelors degree in sociology.

"Coach Comegy has been a winner practically everywhere he’s been," said Moss. "We were equally impressed with his commitment to achievement in the classroom as well as the football field. As a former athletics director, he brings an administrative perspective we believe will be an additional asset for the football program and the athletics department. His selection is the result of a national search. We are confident we made the right choice and I want to express my appreciation to the members of the committee for their assistance in this process."

Prior to coaching at Tuskegee, Comegy was head coach at Central (OH) State University (1994-95) and Cheyney (Pa.) State University (1990-91). He also served as an assistant on coaching staffs at Central State (1985-88), Colgate (1979-84) and Millersville 1975-78).

At Central State, Comegy was 18-3 in two seasons, and he led the Marauders to a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Championship in 1995. His Central State teams were 8-2 in 1994 and 10-1 in 1995 and earned NAIA playoff berths each year.

Comegy has coached several players who continued their careers in the National Football League (NFL). They include Eric Williams (Dallas Cowboys),

Hugh Douglas (New York Jets), Marvin Pope (San Francisco 49ers), Jim Williams (Chicago Bears), Anthony Mitchell (Baltimore Ravens) and Bennett Waddell (Minnesota Vikings).

Comegy was three-year letterwinner at defensive back at Millersville from 1971-74. He was an all-conference pick in addition to being chosen the team’s Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Defensive Player as a senior.

Comegy is a member of the American Football Coaches Association. He and his wife Connie are the parents of five children: Mary, Connie, William, Rick and Billy Joe.

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